Thompson seizes opportunity, delivers game-winning play for USC

Tuesday

Jan 1, 2013 at 10:36 PM

By TODD SHANESYtodd.shanesy@shj.com

TAMPA, Fla. — South Carolina quarterback Dylan Thompson, despite his heroics in the regular-season finale against Clemson, knew he wasn't going to start in the bowl game.If healthy, Connor Shaw holds that spot.So Thompson, the third-year sophomore from Boiling Springs High School, prepared himself to be the star again if the opportunity presented itself.It did. And he was ready.Thompson came in for a hobbled Shaw during the final minute of Tuesday afternoon's Outback Bowl and threw a 32-yard touchdown with 11 seconds remaining to beat Michigan, 33-28, at Raymond James Stadium.“I wasn't nervous,” he said. “I had confidence.”South Carolina earned this bowl bid with a 27-17 win against Clemson, with Thompson passing for 310 yards and three touchdowns. Shaw, however, improved enough from a foot injury to regain his position for the game against Michigan.Shaw started. But Thompson finished.“Every practice, I wanted to feel like it was a game and everything was on the line,” Thompson said. “… I was focused on being ready no matter what.”Shaw began the final drive with 3:23 remaining and had to convert a fourth-down pass to keep hope alive. He took the Gamecocks across midfield, but re-injured the foot on a completion while falling to the ground.Thompson came in and from the 32-yard line, when getting into field-goal range would have set South Carolina up for a possible victory, fired one toward the end zone and Bruce Ellington grabbed it for the game-winner.Thompson did something similar in the first half. He came in for the start of the second quarter and on his third snap, a third-and-9, he threw a 70-yard pass to Byrnes product Nick Jones and followed that with a 4-yard TD toss to Ace Sanders to give the Gamecocks a 21-10 lead. Thompson would finish 7 of 10 for 117 yards, those two scores and no interceptions.“I had been in and had seen the defense,” Thompson said. “That helped later on.”Fast forward to the finish.“(Shaw's) foot was bothering him,” South Carolina head coach Steve Spurrier said. “He sort of hobbled off and Dylan was right there. Obviously, there was no hesitation to go to him.”Spurrier said he couldn't remember ever having to make such a move, switching quarterbacks, on a last-minute desperation drive.“Usually,” he said, “you give one the game and if something happens, if he's struggling, you give the other one an opportunity. Maybe he stays in for the next game. We tried to tell Connor that it was his game — and it was his game. But Dylan was going to play. (Shaw) understood that. It worked out beautifully.”As it has all season.“Both of them are super team-oriented. There are no jealousies,” Spurrier said.“I think it's because we have a great team and we all pull for each other,” Thompson said. “It's not different with the quarterback situation. I want Connor Shaw to go 25-for-25 for 400 yards and five touchdowns every time. I think he honestly wants the same thing for me.”Come next season, when both quarterbacks return, it just might be a role reversal, Shaw practicing hard to come off the bench and play when needed.“We will go through the spring and everything next year,” Spurrier said. “We always have competition for every position.”He said that's to make sure players “don't go bad on us.”Spurrier said that for the first time in his career, he gave game balls to two quarterbacks. Shaw completed 18 of 26 passes for 224 yards and two touchdowns. He also led the team in rushing with 96 yards on 10 carries.“We both looked at each other and said we can't wait for next year,” Thompson said. “What that entails, we'll see. We love winning and the competition. There is no better guy to do it with than him.”